Apparatus for assembling cellular forms



P. KUCERA.

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING CELLULAR FORMS.:

APPLICAHON F`|LED MAYZl, 1920. 1,374,454. I Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

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feier En Cefa UNITED STATES 'PATENT oF lucayf PETER KUCERA, OF SOUTH CONNELLSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-N OR TO CAPSTAN GLASS COMPANY, OF SOUTH CONNELLSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLINGv CELLULAR FORMS.

To all whom t ma@ concern f Be it known that I, PETER KUoERA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of South Connellsville, in the county of F ry tte, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Assembling Cellular Forms,'of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of cellular boxes, and pertains particularly to a novel method and means for facilitating the assembly of separate blanks or partition strips into interengaging association to provide the cellular partition forms commonly employed in variouskinds of packing and shipping cases.

As is well known in the art, in the manufacture of cellular boxes, it is customary to provide a plurality of cellular blanks in the form of partition strips, which are cut to proper dimensions and slotted or notched,

and then assembled with halved joints, so

' that they coperate to providepartitions for a plurality of cells. In various forms of packing cases these partition strips are formed o f strawboard, corrugated paper, thin veneer, and other flexible-materials and, in present practice, are assembled customarily by hand, in the establishment where the case is to be filled, rather than in the establishment where the materials for the case are formed. This is a costly process' due to the amount of time required to properly fit the i slotted strips together.

The general object of the present invention is the provision4 of a simple and economical method and apparatus which may be,

-conveniently employed in an establishment,

not directed primarily to the manufacture of the cases, for the purpose of assembling the ready cut and knocked down portions of a cellular partition form into their proper relationship for insertion into the cases or containers in which they are employed.

It is also an object of the invention to provide such an appliance which will greatly expedite and, simplify the assembling of such articles, so that they may be vput together very rapidly by a person havmg no special skill or practice in the work, and thus secure a great reduction in operating cost.

yOther and further objects and advantages Specification ofALctters Patent.

M Y i l Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

Application led May `21, 1920. Serial No. 383,140.

i of the invention will be pointed out hereinafter or indicated in the appended claims, or be obvious from the accompanying drawings in which an illustrative embodiment of the invention isshown.

In the drawings Figure l represents a top or lan view ofthe assembling rack o r table;

1g. 2 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is an illustration of a cellular partition form of the kind assembled on theillustrated device. l

By reference to these drawings it will be `understood that the invention contemplates the provision of a suitable support which may be in the form of a table 1, and above which are disposed in predetermined relationship, series of guide and spacing members 2. These'members present supporting portions or walls 2a`and guide portions 2b. In the form illustrated the members 2 are in the nature lof rectangular entities supported on the table with their vertically disposed walls forming the supporting ortions 2"1L and with their horizontal e ges chamfered or beveled4 off to provide the lguide portions 2bv sloping downwardly toward the supporting portions 2a. The spacing members are disposed with their supporting portions 2a in` alinement and with the opposed supporting portions 2a on adjacentspacing members spaced apart a proper distance to accommodate the thickness lof the intended partition strips. The guide portions 2b on the adjacent spacing members thus disposed coperate to afford grooves having comparatively wide mouths and converging toward the supporting portions 23. vThe several spacing members having their supporting rectangular relationship, they Will form, when disposed in the intended association, a plurality of rectangular intersecting slots spaced apart by the width of the spacing portions disposed inmembers. The horizontal dimensions of the acter S, and others of such strips are designatediin said figure by the character S, the slots in such strips being designated by the characterS2. 'Along the adjacent sides of the associated group of spacing members are disposed stop members 4 which are effective to close the ends of the slots or channels between the spacing members. At suitable intersections of such slots or channels lifting members 5-are associated with the support 1 in such fashion that the may be moved vertically in the slots. for operating the lifting members in such fashion may include a frame 6 carried on a member 7 slidably supported in a guide 8, and a suitably operated lever 9 coperating with the member 7 so that upon swinging of the lever the member willbe slid upwardly through the guide 8, to project the lifting members 5 upwardly between the spacing members.

1n operatlon of the device, the operator being supplied .with the suitable blanks to make the cellular form, for example, as illustrated in Fig., 3, he places the necessary number thereof in the parallel grooves afforded by the associated spacing members, with the slots or notches in the strips presented upwardly. This may be accomplished very rapidly, the operator utilizing both hands simultaneously to place different strips, the proper'seating of the strips being facilitatedy by the tapering grooves provided by the sloping guide faces 2b. lVhen disposed in theslots, the partition strips Will be held onedge in proper upright position by the supporting faces 2, and the registry of the slots S2 with the intersecting channels will be insured by contact of the ends of the'partition strips against the stop members 4. Other partition stripsare then slipped downwardly into Ythe grooves traversing the strips originally positioned, the notched edges of the second series ofV strips being inserted first. Due to the fact that the original partition strips are held-in definite relationship, strips of the second series may be applied directly in proper position without the necessity for the moving, bending or forcing` of any of the strips. The formv thus having been assembled, the lever 9 is operated to raise the lifting members 5 which elevate the form as v`a unit out of the slots between the spacing members. v

An apparatus having the essential characteristics of that above described is of particular utility in the assembling of cellular forms in which the partition strips arer` of fiexible or pliable material such as strawboard, corrugated paper and the like, as the guide portions of the spacing members cooperate effectively to straighten and direct the partition strips in proper positions, While the supportinguportions 2aL are' effecechanism tive to maintain the strips in alinement and sustain them in thefoperation of halvingthe tion forms comprising the combination of av support, spacing members associated therewith to sustain a plurality of partition strips in parallel relationship, said spacing members including supporting portions dis` posed for coperation with partition strips saacino` members includino- Ouide `ortions C ZD D ciation with the supporting portions.

2. A device for assembling cellular partition forms comprising the combination of a support, spacing members associated therewith to sustain a plurality o f partition strips in parallel relationship, said spacing members including supporting portions disposed fpr coperation with partition strips extending in angular relationship, said spacing members ,including guide portions arranged to direct partition strips into association with the supporting portions, and means associated with the support and spacing members for simultaneously removing spacing strips in assembling relationship from association therewith.

3. A device for assembling cellular partition forms comprising the combination of a support and spacing members arranged to sustain partition strips, said spacing members having supporting portions spaced apart and coperating to afford slots for the reception of partition strips. said spacing members including guide -portions coperating with the supporting portions to facilitate the insertionl of spacing strips edgewise into such slots, there being vstops for determining the longitudinal position of partition members in such slots, and divers of the supporting portions being -disposed in alngular relationship to afford intersecting s ots. 4. In a device .flor assembling cellular partition forms, the combination with a support of a plurality of spacing members including supporting portions arranged to provide series of intersecting slots for the reception of partition strips, the supporting portions forming alined walls which are continuous excepting at the intersection of slots, and there being guide portions cooperating with the' supporting portions to extending in angular relationship, said l facilitate the insertion of partition strips viding coperating supporting members edgewise between the latter. adapted o sustain., partition strips With 5. In a device for assembling cellular partheir edges presented toward the mouths of tition forms, the combination with a supthe slots, there being guide portions formed 4C 5 port of a plurality of spacing members inby sides converging to the several slots, and cluding supporting portionsl arranged to stops for determining the longitudinal poprovide series of intersecting slots for the sitions of partition strips in the slots. reception of partition strips, the supporting 8. A device for assembling cellular par- K portions forming alined Walls which are tition forms comprising a table provided 45 i continuous excepting at the intersection of with rectangularly intersecting series of slots, there being guide portions cooperating parallel slots, the sides of the slots provid- With the supporting portions to facilitate ing coperating supporting members adaptthe insertion of partition strips edgewise ed to sustain partition strips With their between the latter and means for determinedges presented toward the mouths of the 50 i ing the longitudinal positions of partition slots, there being guide portions formed by strips in the slots relative to intersecting sides converging to the several slots, stops slots. for determining the longitudinal positions 6. In a device for assembling cellularparof partition strips in the slots, and meanstition forms, the combination with a supfor ejecting associated partition strips from 55 port of a plurality of spacing members inthe slots in assembled relationship.

cluding supporting portionsarranged to 9. A device for assembling cellular partiprovide series of intersecting slots for the tion forms comprising the combination of va reception of partition strips, the supporting'A support, spacing members associated thereportions forming alined Walls which are conwith and having supporting portions dis- 60 tinuous excepting at the intersection of slots, posed in angular relationship, the supportthere being guide portions coperating With ing portions on divers spacing members cothe 'supporting' portions to facilitate the inoperating to sustain partition strips in sertion of partition strips edgewise between definite relationship On edge, guide portions the latter, and means movable relative to the for directing partition lstrips edgewise into 65 spacing members for engaging associated association with the supporting portions, partition strips and removing them from and means associated with the support for the slots in assembled relationship. removing assembled spacing strips collec- 7. device for assembling cellular partively from association with the spacing tition forms comprising a table provided members.

With rectangularly intersecting series. of

parallel slots, the sides of the slots pro` PETER KUCERA. 

